Highlights

  • Assassin's Creed Mirage, the latest entry in the franchise, attempts to revisit the classic AC formula but falls short in terms of story, characters, and gameplay mechanics.
  • The Ezio trilogy, consisting of Assassin's Creed 2, Brotherhood, and Revelations, still holds up well today with its improved combat, fluid parkour, and compelling story and characters.
  • While Mirage aims to bring back the series' action-adventure roots, its half-baked combat system and stripped-back parkour make it feel outdated and inferior compared to the Ezio trilogy.

The Assassin's Creed franchise has had two very distinct phases in its life. The first of these phases began in 2007 with the very first Assassin's Creed game, and lasted up until 2015 with the release of Assassin's Creed Syndicate. This era saw a natural progression of the same general mechanics and gameplay formula, a formula that's since been dubbed the "classic Assassin's Creed formula." Then, in 2017, Assassin's Creed Origins was released as a game more focused on action-RPG elements, and one that began the franchise's second phase. But with the release of Assassin's Creed Mirage earlier this year, a potential third phase might be on the horizon.

Though Assassin's Creed Valhalla received a pretty solid critical reception, it acted as the turning point for many long-time AC fans. Sprawling hundred-hour epic action RPGs just aren't everyone's cup of tea, and getting three of those in a row only served to push fans of the original AC formula away. But in an attempt to bring them back on its side, Ubisoft released Assassin's Creed Mirage. And while Mirage was a step in the right direction, it still doesn't quite hold up to the original Ezio trilogy.

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Assassin's Creed Mirage Doesn't Hold a Candle to The Ezio Trilogy

Ezio's Assassin's Creed Trilogy Still Holds Up

Released between 2009 and 2011, the Assassin's Creed Ezio trilogy definitely looks a bit rough around the edges today, but it still holds up in so many ways. Assassin's Creed 2 is often cited as one of the best entries in franchise history, and while nostalgia does play a major role in that, it's certainly strong. Improving on its predecessor's formula in every way, Assassin's Creed 2 offers better combat mechanics and more fluid and complex parkour. Assassin's Creed Brotherhood then continues to improve upon that, and Revelations does the exact same, offering a gameplay experience that genuinely holds up very well over a decade later.

Another major highlight of the Ezio trilogy is its story and characters. Assassin's Creed 2's story may be simple, but its high personal stakes and its enticing journey of revenge are enthralling from start to finish. Brotherhood's story gets a tad more convoluted, but it still has plenty of personal drama to keep players engaged, and Revelations is no different. Ezio himself is also easily one of, if not the best, characters in the franchise, with an iconic performance by Roger Craig Smith carrying some real emotional weight but also levity when it's needed.

The Assassin's Creed Ezio trilogy is undeniably showing its age in terms of visuals and some early AC2 mechanics, but generally speaking, the vast majority of its gameplay formula still holds up surprisingly well today. The series also has the benefit of being a trilogy, giving players a natural and rewarding sense of progression as they complete each game in the saga consecutively, both in terms of refined mechanics and a continued story.

Assassin's Creed Mirage Took Too Many Steps Backward

From the very beginning, Ubisoft made it explicitly clear that Assassin's Creed Mirage was going to be an entry that revisited the classic AC formula, acting as a celebration of the series' 15th anniversary. For years fans had been asking for a return to basics for Assassin's Creed, and Mirage gave them exactly that, though it may have taken too many steps backward in the process.

Assassin's Creed Mirage features some of the weaker story and character elements in the series, with there being very few personal stakes at play throughout the game, and more important moments feeling a little rushed. Gameplay-wise, Assassin's Creed Mirage also fell a little short. In an attempt to merge the classic formula with the new, AC Mirage delivered a half-baked combat system, and some heavily stripped-back parkour. Assassin's Creed Mirage feels like the 2007 original, but that doesn't feel all that great in 2023, and by comparison, it doesn't hold a candle to the Ezio trilogy.